Sole-pressing machine



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W. GORDON. SOLE PRESSING MACHINE.

No. 425,218. A Patented Apr. 8, 1890.

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- W. GGRDON.A

SOLE PRESSING MACHINE.

No. 425,218.v PatentedApr. 8, 1890..

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W. GORDON.

SOLE PRBssING MAGHINB.

No. 425,218. y Pazellted Apr. 8, 1890.

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SOLE PRESSING MACHINE.

PatentedApr. 8`, 1890.

INVENTUFQ 'UNITED' STATES 'PATENT OFFICE.

VILLIAM GORDON, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SOLE-PRESSING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 425,218, dated April 8, 1890.

Application tiled April 2, 1889. Serial No. 305.671. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that l, VILLIAM GORDON, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sole Pressing and Leveling Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to machines for molding or leveling soles of boots and slices by pressure between two surfaces, one of which is the bottom of the last having the same shape as the last on which the boot or shoe was made, while the other is the face of a die or former having the converse of said shape. Heretofore machines for this purpose have been organized to mold a sole by pressure progressing lengthwise thereof, the formingsurfaces being oscillated endwise on centers arranged to cause the pressing action to commence at one end of t-he sole and progress gradually to the other end. This motion of the pressing-surfaces has a tendency to strain and break the stitches,because the pull is in the direction of the line or length of the thread and of the-line of t-he row of stitches, and acts on but a few stitches at the same instant of time, and also has a tendency to separate the sole from the upper along the shank portion of the sole, and also to cause the sole to creep or move endwise upon the upper or the outer sole to creep upon the under sole, and thus injure the boot or shoe, besides consuming more time than is desirable.

My invent-ion has for its obj ect to obviate the objections which exist to machines organized as above indicated; and it consists in certain improvements, hereinafter described, whereby the last'and die or former are moved sidewise, so that the molding pressure commences along the entire length of the sole at one edge and presses at about one and the same instant of time all the longitudinal line of stitches at said edge, and then progresses across or transversely of the sole, as I will now proceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this speciiication,Figure l represents a front view of my improved sole-leveling niachine. Fig. 2 represents an end elevation of the same, parts of the supporting-frame being broken away in both figures. Fig. 3 reprcsents a rear elevation. Fig. 1i represents a section on line x Fig. 2.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, a represents a supportingframe having bearings for rock-shafts Z7 c, one at the lower and the other at the upper portion of the frame. To the rock-shaft b is attached a socketed arm d, in which is fitted a shank e on the last-holder e', said shank being adj ustably secured to the arm d by a screw f, Fig. 2. To the holder e is detachably secured in any suitable way the last g. The rock-shaft c is provided with a soeketed arm 7L, in which is iitted to slide a shank t' on the die or former holder i.

j represents the former, which is detachably secured to the holder i" and has its bottom surface formed to iit the bottom of the last g.

The last and die are arranged so that they extend substantially parallel with the shafts b c, and are therefore moved sidewise by the rotation of said shafts. ln other words, when the shafts l) c are rocked and the arms CZ h are oscillated thereby the last and former are oscillated sidewise, so that their pressure on a sole placed between them will commence along one edge of said sole, pressing and bearing equally and simultaneously along the entire length of said edge, and then progresses and continues crosswise of the sole, (instead of its commencing at one end of the sole, as heretofore practiced,) and then progressing or advancing to its other end and act-ing on the stitches one after another and tending to strain them, and also to weaken or break the thread by forcibly pulling it in the direction of its length. lt will be seen that by my method the pressure is more quickly applied and removed 5 that the rack-segments may be materially shorter than heretofore and have a much shorter range of movement because of having but a short distance to travel, namely, across instead of lengthwise of the sole 5 that this enables the machine to work quicker and to press a relatively larger number of soles in a given time, thus economizing labor and expense; and, further, that there is less liability of displacement of the sole or of the creeping of one sole upon the IOO other or upon the upper, or of injury to the fastenings that connect the sole or soles to the boot or shoe than wouldl be the case if the last and former were oseillated endwise, as heretofore. Moreover, a still further and important resulting advantage is that the stitches cannot be strained or dragged in the direction or line of the length of the thread or lengthwise of the stitches, which always involve a tendency to and a risk of breaking them, especially as such strain comes on a single thread and lengthwise of the fibers which compose the thread. By my improvement, however, the pressure and strain are on most, if not all, the stitches at one and the same time at either side of the sole, and in a direction transverse of the length of the thread and of the fibers of such thread and of the line of stitches also. If the shoe be a pegged one, the action is similarly on a large number of pegs at the same time instead of on one after the other successively.

The former-holder 'IZ is backed by a spring lm, Fig. 2, within the arm 71.; said spring enabling the former to yield and conform to different thicknesses of soles.

The machine here shown is provided with two lasts, two formers, and duplicate supporting-shafts and arms therefor, the arrangement being such that while a sole is under pressure between one last and former the other last and former are separated to permit the application or removal of another boot or shoe.

The shafts l) c are provided, respectively, with arms o p, on which are rack-segments q r, formed to engage worms s on a shaft t. Said shaft is journaled in brackets on the frame a, and on it are two loose pulleys a r, which are rotated in opposite directions by any suitable means.

u t" are friction-clutches adapted to slide on the shaft t, but rotatively engaged therewith by feathers and grooves or otherwise. The hubs of said clutches are engaged with forked arms u* u', attached to a rod y, which is adapted to slide in bearings e' on the frame a. Movement of said rod in one direction engages the clutch a with the pulley u and causes the shaft to rotate with said pulley. Movement of the rod in the opposite direction engages the clutch t" with the pulley v'n and rotates the shaft in the opposite direction. The rod y is moved endwise by means of a bell-crank lever 2, which is pivoted at 3 to an ear on the frame a and is engaged at one end with a grooved collar 8 on the rod y. The other end of said bellcrank lever is provided with a gear-segment et, meshing with a gear-segment 5 on a lever (i, which is pivoted at 9 to the frame a, and is provided with a suitable handle or handles -lO, whereby it may be turned to give motion in either direction to the lever 2.

'lhe arrangement of the described mechanism is such that when one of the lasts r/ is in operative relation to the corresponding former y' the other last and former will be separated, as shown in Figs. 1 and A sole is supposed to be receiving vpressure between the operative last and former.

Operation: The conditions being as last described, the operator, after moving the boot or shoe from the displaced last and placing another thereon, connects the shaft t with the pulley, which rotates in the direction required to operate the rock-shafts l) c through the described connections and separate the lastand former shown at the right in Fig. 1, and at the same time bring together the last and former shown at the left in said figure, the boot or shoe last applied being thus subjected to pressure, while the boot or shoe, the sole of which has already been pressed, is released and may be removed. lVhen the last and former thus made operative are brought to a full bearing on the sole, the motion of the shaft t is stopped by the action of an arm 13 on one of two collars 14 14 on the rod y, said arm having an internally-screw-threaded collar l 5, which is engaged with a screw-thread t on the shaft t, so that the rotation of said shaft moves the arm toward one collar lll or the other, as the case may be. The contact of the arm 13 with a collar 14 moves the rod 1/ sufficiently to separate the then operating clutch from it-s pulley without making the other clutch operative, so that the lasts and formers remain at rest until the operator by moving the lever G again sets them in motion.

I do not limit myself to a metal last g, but may make the same of any other suitable material, either yielding or rigid.

I claiml. In a sole pressing or leveling machine, the combination of a last, a former, rock-shafts having arms carrying said last and former, and means for oscillating said shafts and arms, the last and former being arranged substantially parallel with the said shafts, whereby when the last and die are oscillated the pressure exerted on the sole commences along one edge and progresses transversely across the sole, as set forth.

2. In a sole pressing or leveling machine, the combination of a last, a former, rock-shafts arranged parallel with thelast and former and having arms carrying said last and former, the arms o p, secured to said rock-shafts and provided with short gear-segments, the shaft t, having a worm engaging said segments, and mechanism for rotating said shaft, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 28th day of February. A. I). 1889.

lVILLlAM GORDON.

Witnesses:

(l. F. lmowN, A. I). llAamsoN.

IOO 

